Q. The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the Opposition leader Tony Abbott have both recently made statements about the handling of asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat.

Do you think Kevin Rudd’s approach to handling asylum seekers is too harsh, too soft or about right?

Do you think Tony Abbott’s approach to handling asylum seekers is too harsh, too soft or about right?

Kevin Rudd

Tony Abbott

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Lib/Nat

Vote Greens

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Lib/Nat

Vote Greens

Too harsh

20%

19%

18%

49%

21%

38%

5%

42%

Too soft

24%

12%

35%

13%

20%

21%

16%

21%

About right

40%

53%

33%

25%

31%

11%

61%

7%

Don’t know

16%

16%

14%

13%

27%

31%

18%

30%

40% of respondents think Kevin Rudd’s approach to handling asylum seekers is about right and 31% think Tony Abbott’s approach is about right. Views are similar for both approaches in terms of whether they are too soft or too harsh – about one in five selected each option.

Q. Do you approve or disapprove of the announcement by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, that all asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat will be sent to New Guinea for processing and none will be resettled in Australia?

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Lib/Nat

Vote Greens

Total approve

61%

75%

58%

32%

Total disapprove

28%

16%

32%

62%

Strongly approve

30%

45%

24%

7%

Approve

31%

30%

34%

25%

Disapprove

14%

10%

14%

31%

Strongly disapprove

14%

6%

18%

31%

Don’t know

11%

9%

10%

7%

61% approve of the announcement that all asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat will be sent to New Guinea for processing and none will be resettled in Australia and 28% disapprove.

75% of Labor voters and 58% of Liberal/National voters approve but 62% of Greens voters disapprove. A majority of all demographic groups approved – those most likely to disapprove were respondents with university degrees (54% approve/35% disapprove).

Of those who think the asylum seeker issue is one of or the most important election issue, 71% approve and 25% disapprove.